Spain can play a big role in building Belt & Road: Xi

Spain has special advantages in geographic location, and the country could play an important role in building the Belt and Road, President Xi Jinping said while meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday.

The launch of the China-Europe Railway from Yiwu to Madrid has become an important bridge to connect Asia with Europe, and it is also the achievement of the early period of building the Belt and Road, Xi said.

China and Spain started frequent trade exchanges 400 years ago through the Maritime Silk Road linking China with Europe and Latin America, Xi said.

The two countries should connect each other's development strategies, deepen cooperation in areas such as agriculture, bio-pharmacy, aviation and aerospace, Xi said.

China firmly supports the unification process of Europe, and hopes that Spain could play an active role in the European Union to make positive contributions to China-Europe relations, he said.

Rajoy said that Spain-China relations are gaining good momentum. High-level exchanges are frequent, and trade cooperation is fruitful, he said.

Spain spoke highly of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will have an important influence on the economy and culture exchanges along the routes, he said.

Spain would like to deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, infrastructure, and people-to-people, exchanges, he said.